Fastening-inserting machine



J. A. BHOGAN'.

FASTENING INSERTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED FEB-6.1919.

' 1,860,090. Patented Nov. 23,1920.

WW Y i other part connected therewith.

it was necessary to remove the solid end UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. BROGAN, G3? LAVJBENCE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY coRroRn'rI'oN, or new JERSEY.

PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF FASTENING-INSERTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Nay, 23, 1920,

Application filed February 6, 1919. Serial No. 275,400.

ters on the drawings indicating like parts in s the several figures.

'lhisinvention pertains to tastening inscrtmg machines and will be disclosech by way of example, as embodiedin a machine for inserting wire fastenings oi? the type shown in United States Patent No. 90,621,

granted to Louis Goddu, January2 i,1893.

The machine is provided. with a wire carrying spindle slotted to receive grippers which engage the wire to feed it into the work, and this spindle was originally formed with a solid end provided with a central opening for the wire. Difiiculty was experienced in the operation of machines as thus constructed arising from the frequent failure of the grippers to force the wire through the solid end of the spindle byreason of an enlargement or other imperfection in the wire or 1n consequence of the wire being upset or wedged into a slot of the spindle resulting, for example, from 1ts engagement with some unusual obstruction such as a nail f or tack in ashoe. Inasmuch as thegrippers are positively driven, failure of the wire to pass through the passage of the throat caused breakage of the grippers oroi' some Moreover,

from the spindle and to draw out the imperfeet or upset portion of the wire before the operation of the machine could be resumed. In order to obviate these diflicultles, it was proposed in United States Patent No.

565,073, granted Aug. 4, 1896, to Louis Goddu to form a spindle with slots extending unobstructedly to its delivery end. The

walls of the spindle betweenthe slots are of considerable rigidity so as to retain their positions under normal conditions of the insertion of the wire and thus effectively to guide and support thewire but may be flexed outwardly when required by abnormal formations of the wire to permit passage of the wire froin the spindle. Although such modification of the spindle did, in fact, relieve many of the ditiiculties which it was designed to obviate, nevertheless, the spindle, as so modified. is sometimes defective in its operation, particularly under certain conditions, such, for example, as when operating on thick, heavy stock requiring the insertion oit' a long section of wire into the work. A

. relatively smali increase in the length of the fastening inserted increases greatly he force required to thrust the fastening into the work. Moreover, the longer the fastening inserted, the farther from the end of the spindle the wire is engaged by the grippers, thus enhancing its tendency to force the walls of the spindle outwardlyand to buckle or be upset in one of the slots of the spindle. For the above and other reasons, it often happens that the wallsot the spindle between the slotsbecome permanently sprung outwardly thus increasing the size of the bore of the spindle so that the wire is not properly guided and supported in its movement into the work and also permitting the wire to beforced laterally into the enlarged slots of the spindle.

One of the objec s of the invention is so to construct a fastening guide having a bore of substantially uniform diameter, for instance, .thewire carrying splndle of a machine for inserting wire fastenings, that it will. be eiii cient and reliable in operation under all con ditions and even after long continued use of the machine. To this end, an important fea ture of the invention resides in the provision of means tending to contract the guide. In the illustrated construction, such means is of a character to insure the return of the walls of the guide to normal position whenever they are sprung therefrom.

Although the invention will hereinafter be described in its application to a machine for inserting screw-threaded rastenings, it

is recognizedthatthe use of the invention is not restrictedthereto but that the invensociated parts of a machine for inserting screw-threaded tastenings;

Fig. 2 is a view of the spindle extension on an enlarged scale, and

Fig. 3 1s a plan view in cross -se'ctlon taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2 and'looking is formed with slots '6 extending radially outwardly fromsaid bore and designed to -16C61V6' grippers 8 reciprocable lengthwise of the spindle to force the wire into the work. The grippers 8 are carried by a holder 10 sleeved on the spindle 2 and having slots to receive blocks 12 and friction members 14 interposed between said blocks and the periphery of the spindle 2. 'An internally tapered and threaded ring 16 meshes with teeth on the blocks 12 and maybe turned to press'the blocks 12 and friction members 14 againstthe spindle 2 thereby to .retain the sleeve 10 normally in fixed position on the .spindle.

, The grippers 8 are operated by a sleeve IS-slidably mounted on the spindle 2 and inclosing the gripper holder 10 and being provided with rolls 19 for engagement with inclined surfaces on the grippers 8. Slots 20 are formed in the sleeve 18 of greater length than the blocks 12, the construction being suchthat when the sleeve 18 is raised the lower-walls of the slots 20 engage the blocks 12 and raise the gripper holder 10 and grippers 8, whereas upon the downward movement of the sleeve 18,"the rolls 19 engage the grippers 8 and close them upon the wire prior to the engagement of the upper walls of the slots 20 with theblocks 12 to "move the grippers downwardly to free the wire. "The sleeve 18 derives its movement from a yoke 22 formed with a bearing on which rides an annulus 24 threaded on the upper end of the sleeve. An annulus 26 on the sleeve underlies the yoke'22. The elements hereinbefore' described are fully set forth in the patent to Louis Goddu, 490,621

in their relation to each other and to the maf-ehinefasa whole, for which reason a more complete exposition necessary. I I The walls of the spindle 4 intermediate "between the slots 6 are, as hereinabove inthereof is deemed undicated, 1 of considerable rigidity. Consequently, they remain fixed and unyielding during normal conditions of operation of the machine. The bore of the spindle is made of substantially uniform diameter, approximately equal to the diameter of the wire which it is desired to insert. Accordingly, the inner surfaces of the walls of the spindle contact with the wire at substantially all-parts of its. periphery except where the walls are interrupted by the slots 6 and thus efiicaciously support and guide the wire during its insertion into the work.

The force required to insert the wire into the work is very considerable, in consequence of which it is requisite that the grippers have a firm hold on the wire. To this end, they are made as wide as practicable. Manifestly, however, the width of the grippers is limited by that of the slots which in turn must be less than the diameter of the wire to preclude the forcing out of the wire through the slots. It will be understood from the foregoing, however, that the walls of the spindle may be flexed outwardly under certain conditions, as, for instance.

to permit the passage of an enlargement ot the wire or of an upset portion of the wire and it is apparent that, inasmuch as the walls are not perfectly elastic, repeated outward flexure will cause them to be permanently sprung or distended. Palpably.

the walls of the spindle will not in such condition effectively support and guide the wire during its insertion, thus rendering the operation of the machine unreliable: Moreover, the outward spreading of the walls enlarges the slots and thus greatly augments the likelihood of the buckling of the wire therein.

In accordance with this invention, means is provided tending to return the walls of the spindle to normal position when moved therefrom, and, in the illustrated construction, such means comprises a spring 28 coiled in a groove formed in the tapered end of the spindle extension ll. The force exerted inwardly by the spring 28 counteracts the tendency of the walls when distended not to return fully to their original positions and thus maintains the diameter of the bore of the spindle uniform and prevents enlarge ment of the slots 6 by use of the machine. The spring 28 also adds to the resistance to outward flexure of the walls of the spindle thus preventing them from moving too readily, yet permitting their movement when required by the character of the wire being operated upon.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine for inserting fastenings. a fastening guide formed with a bore of substantially uniform diameter and slotted at its delivery end to permit expansion of the guide when required by the character L of the fastening passed therethrough, and means tending to contract the guide.

2. In a machine for inserting fastenings. a fastening guide slotted at its delivery end and having its walls intermediate between the slots normally rigid but constructed to yield when required to permit the passage of a fastening therethrough, and means tending to return the walls to normal position when moved therefrom.

3. In a machine for inserting t'astenings, a fastening guide slotted at its delivery end and having its walls intermediate between the slots normally rigid but constructed to yield when required to permit the passage of a fastening therethrough, and a spring for returning the walls to normal position when moved therefrom.

4. In a machine for inserting wire fastenings, a wire carrying spindle having slots therein continued unobstructedly to its delivery end and having its walls between said slots normally rigid but constructed to yield when required to permit the passage of the wire therethrough, and a spring coiled about said walls tending to move said walls inwardiy.

5. n a machine for inserting wire fastenings, a wire carrying spindle having slots therein continued unobstructedly to its delivery end, Wire feeding means movable in said slots to a point adjacent to the ends of the slots, and means intermediate between the path of movement of the feeding means and the end of the spindle tending to move the walls of the spindle inwardly.

6. In a machine for inserting wire fastenings, a'wire carrying spindle provided with slots continued unobstructedly to its delivery end and having a reduced lower end formed with an external annular groove, wire feeding means movable in said slots, and a spring coiled in said annular groove and tending to move the walls of said spindle inwardly.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JAMES A, BROGAN. 

